Career Path Enlightenment?

[winterfate]

I am in need of guidance, fellow Sea/b/ass/tian/s Sebastians. I am on a long, long journey, and this is only the beginning. To start, my long term goal is to be a cutting edge genius beyond what even Elon or his child could hope to become(shoot for the moon, and all that). Short term goal is to become at least as knowledgeable as the most knowledgeable sys admin(and as wise). Shorter-term goal is to gain at least 3 tech certifications in the next 2 years, begin an entry-level IT job, and rise to at least a $70,000 annual pay rate within, at most, 2 years, due to my level of value. No need to worry about the time frame; I use SuperMemo(super-memo.com, NOT supermemo.com. I used to use Anki, but switched due to superior algorithm and much better long-term application.).

 

Good ol' Musk said it best: 

Quote

...it is important to view knowledge as sort of a semantic tree -- make sure you understand the fundamental principles, ie the trunk and big branches, before you get into the leaves/details or there is nothing for them to hang on to.

And so I must master the complete fundamentals before mastering the advanced. There are so many different things to learn, I frankly just can't figure out what I need to learn first. I guess everything CompTIA+ is obvious- oh, I do need to say, I'm not meaning to come off as arrogant or pretentious, if I am coming off that way. But, well, where do I start? What educational path do I follow? And I would like to thank @LinusTech for inspiring me to pursue technology, as he has many others. ... I know I'm not the best at speech or writing, but... Thank you for your help, in advance.

[mahyar]

i you ask me you should learn about linux if you want be sysadmin you will have to take a look at 'em and try to get classes or online courses and remember whatever you learn try it on a vm as a bonus try to learn c or c++

[mahyar]

4 minutes ago, mahyar said:

i you ask me you should learn about linux if you want be sysadmin you will have to take a look at 'em and try to get classes or online courses and remember whatever you learn try it on a vm as a bonus try to learn c or c++

btw learn some server admin stuff it ill help a lot

[Glinch]

Fuck working with computers, just my 2 cents. Learn a trade instead. Go do something where you don't rot in an office the rest of your life. 

[straight_stewie]

1 hour ago, winterfate said:

Short term goal is to become at least as knowledgeable as the most knowledgeable sys admin(and as wise)

There is no one path through something as widespread as systems administration. You might start out as a highschool student interested in running joke programs. You might start out as a CS student who's never programmed before. You might start out as a CIA trained spy in charge of running communications and SIGINT equipment in embassies.

You might end up maintaining huuuuuuugggeeeeee government networks, supercomputers, datacenters, school system networks, small business networks, or being a contractor (kind of a sysadmin for hire) for your local area. 

Start with your personal machine. Are you confident that your personal machine is in excellent health, and is very secure? If you run into a problem with your personal machine, are you confident you can fix it? What about your home network, can you say the same things for it? After that, complicate your personal network with virtual machines, all networked together in interesting ways and playing interesting and ever more complicated roles, until you can say the same for them.

A simple and specific starting point would be to be able to answer yes to the following question: Can you get your iptables configuration loaded during system startup before your machine actually connects to the network, without installing any applications, scripts, or tools not included with the initial OS installation?
 

[Roswell]

If you expect to be at the pinnacle of network engineering knowledge and pulling 70k+ in salary in less than 2 years with nothing but a few certifications, you’ll be very disappointed.

 

If you’re in NA you need a degree to make that kind of money in IT. Especially if you plan to do it so quickly. Without a degree, the best you can hope for is a $15-20/hr help desk job.

[The_russian]

2 hours ago, winterfate said:

Shorter-term goal is to gain at least 3 tech certifications in the next 2 years, begin an entry-level IT job, and rise to at least a $70,000 annual pay rate within, at most, 2 years, due to my level of value.

Unfortunately companies seem to really prefer experience over just certifications, so even if you do get the certifications, you will most likely not rise to a $70,000 salary job within 2 years, unless you have years of prior IT work experience that you didn't mention. 

[Pixel5]

so what are your current qualifications, do you have any degree in the IT field or any other formal education into that direction?

 

generally if you wanna be a sys admin and you really want to understand all fundamentals you should aim to be "fluent" in linux and by fluent i mean you are at the point that you prefer using command line for everything instead of and kind of GUI, you know becoming that annoying asshole telling everyone how superior command line is while fully neglecting why GUI´s exist.

 

beside this get a university degree in a field of your interest and run with it, also dont listen to Elon Musk about this stuff, the main reason he got Tesla running is knowing rich people that gave him money.

If you dont know rich people that stuff doesnt work like that, also Elon is not a genius by any means, he had some good ideas and made some money with it, he knows many things and hes very LOUD about it which makes people think hes a genius for some reason.

[winterfate]

15 hours ago, Vitamanic said:

If you expect to be at the pinnacle of network engineering knowledge and pulling 70k+ in salary in less than 2 years with nothing but a few certifications, you’ll be very disappointed.

 

If you’re in NA you need a degree to make that kind of money in IT. Especially if you plan to do it so quickly. Without a degree, the best you can hope for is a $15-20/hr help desk job.

Really? Dang. Well, what kinda degree we talkin? Bachelors, or all the way to doctorate?

[Roswell]

51 minutes ago, winterfate said:

Really? Dang. Well, what kinda degree we talkin? Bachelors, or all the way to doctorate?

Most places are only looking for a bachelors of CS. Positions requiring more are pretty few and far between, usually reserved for jobs that also involve high level management.

 

That said, you don’t NEED a degree to be the next Elon. He (and others like him) are really just people with good ideas and even better connections with a healthy dose of charisma. Business courses would be more valuable in this scenario than an actual technical degree.

Basically, one option gives you a great chance at earning a white collar salary and stable employment, the other gives you needle in a haystack odds to earn some Jesus money. 

 

Not everyone is CEO material and most everyone doesn’t have the random luck to land a great idea and investment. I’d go the other route and get an IT degree, just about anyone can do that and land a job after as long as you’re motivated.

[divito]

19 hours ago, winterfate said:

Shorter-term goal is to gain at least 3 tech certifications in the next 2 years, begin an entry-level IT job, and rise to at least a $70,000 annual pay rate within, at most, 2 years, due to my level of value.

Getting at least 3 certifications in 2 years is definitely doable, even slow in some instances. However, going from an entry-level IT position to $70k in 2 years is going to be extremely unlikely.

Not that it can't happen, but so many things would have to align (location, company, role), and you'd have to show supreme skills and experience. Most companies simply don't pay that kind of money unless you have a lot of experience with real systems (in addition to your certifications), or at least a bachelors in CS, and a few years in a legitimate role.

If you're truly interested in such a career path, and going for a CS degree isn't an option, I'd be leaning towards networking and security certifications and experience. The other high-paying tech jobs are typically in engineering, and data architect/science, which will traditionally rely more on degrees. 

[AngryBeaver]

17 hours ago, Vitamanic said:

If you expect to be at the pinnacle of network engineering knowledge and pulling 70k+ in salary in less than 2 years with nothing but a few certifications, you’ll be very disappointed.

 

If you’re in NA you need a degree to make that kind of money in IT. Especially if you plan to do it so quickly. Without a degree, the best you can hope for is a $15-20/hr help desk job.

The only area of IT that pays 70kish at entry level is InfoSec. On top of that you do need to know the ins and outs of pretty much everything in the IT umbrella. With the shortages a degree or even a few certs might get you in the door at some places... after that experience is king anyways.

 

If that interests you then I would say learn the ins and out of how a machine (Linux or windows) operates. Then from there focus on networking. The flow of data, handshakes, etc. Those are the most important things you need to get in this field.

[Sprawlie]

Thing that have helped me and are skillsets that I think would get you into a team:

 

1. Communication skills. Yes, I know not even tech! but believe it or not one of the key competencies needed in a team will be the ability to communicate. Either paper and documentation, or to others to express your ideas. Doing a course, or at least being able to demonstrate basic ITIL understanding will be absolutely massive.

 

2. Pick a competency you care about, and not just one you think hs the best money. the money isn't going to be worth it in tech if you're not happy doing it. there are a lot of hours being a sysadmin. overnights and responding to out of regular hours emergencies will be expected. 

 

3. Virtualization - If you can demonstrate your understanding of Virtualizations, and competencies or expertise in enterprise virtualization, you will have an easier time. Especially ESXI if you are looking to be a sysadmin in corporate. 

 

4. Operating systems? Don't pigeonhole yourself in being only a linux expert, or only a windows guy. Understand basic administration of both. you will work with both. it is inevitable. Active Directory, whether in the cloud (Azure) or on premise is going to be the backing credential management in just about 90% of enterprise. Learn how to make Windows and Linux talk with eachother.

 

5. Python

 

6. Networking. if you cannot explain, or at least understand how everything connects and communicates, you are going to have a bad time. networking, especially enterprise is far more complicated than home networking. 

 

7. Learn some business. honestly. take an entry level accounting course if you can. Learn what budgeting is. how businesses do their math. As a system admin this seems like it's irrelevant. it's not. You are going to be constantly fighting with bean counters. you will always want more than they are willing to spend. if you can speak their lingo, it's far easier to convince them to get you what you want. Example, if you just ask for a million dollars in equipment, you're not likely going to be given much attention. But if you can show a business case, budget for it, schedule for it on their amortization and costing and can show them why it's in the busineses best interest monetarily. You will be given a far wider benefit of the doubt later.

[winterfate]

2 hours ago, Sprawlie said:

Thing that have helped me and are skillsets that I think would get you into a team:

 

1. Communication skills. Yes, I know not even tech! but believe it or not one of the key competencies needed in a team will be the ability to communicate. Either paper and documentation, or to others to express your ideas. Doing a course, or at least being able to demonstrate basic ITIL understanding will be absolutely massive.

 

2. Pick a competency you care about, and not just one you think hs the best money. the money isn't going to be worth it in tech if you're not happy doing it. there are a lot of hours being a sysadmin. overnights and responding to out of regular hours emergencies will be expected. 

 

3. Virtualization - If you can demonstrate your understanding of Virtualizations, and competencies or expertise in enterprise virtualization, you will have an easier time. Especially ESXI if you are looking to be a sysadmin in corporate. 

 

4. Operating systems? Don't pigeonhole yourself in being only a linux expert, or only a windows guy. Understand basic administration of both. you will work with both. it is inevitable. Active Directory, whether in the cloud (Azure) or on premise is going to be the backing credential management in just about 90% of enterprise. Learn how to make Windows and Linux talk with eachother.

 

5. Python

 

6. Networking. if you cannot explain, or at least understand how everything connects and communicates, you are going to have a bad time. networking, especially enterprise is far more complicated than home networking. 

 

7. Learn some business. honestly. take an entry level accounting course if you can. Learn what budgeting is. how businesses do their math. As a system admin this seems like it's irrelevant. it's not. You are going to be constantly fighting with bean counters. you will always want more than they are willing to spend. if you can speak their lingo, it's far easier to convince them to get you what you want. Example, if you just ask for a million dollars in equipment, you're not likely going to be given much attention. But if you can show a business case, budget for it, schedule for it on their amortization and costing and can show them why it's in the busineses best interest monetarily. You will be given a far wider benefit of the doubt later.

You have somehow aroused an appetite within me after that knowledge impartment. I am physically hungry and excited to know more. Do it again!

[AngryBeaver]

11 hours ago, Sprawlie said:

Thing that have helped me and are skillsets that I think would get you into a team:

 

1. Communication skills. Yes, I know not even tech! but believe it or not one of the key competencies needed in a team will be the ability to communicate. Either paper and documentation, or to others to express your ideas. Doing a course, or at least being able to demonstrate basic ITIL understanding will be absolutely massive.

 

2. Pick a competency you care about, and not just one you think hs the best money. the money isn't going to be worth it in tech if you're not happy doing it. there are a lot of hours being a sysadmin. overnights and responding to out of regular hours emergencies will be expected. 

 

3. Virtualization - If you can demonstrate your understanding of Virtualizations, and competencies or expertise in enterprise virtualization, you will have an easier time. Especially ESXI if you are looking to be a sysadmin in corporate. 

 

4. Operating systems? Don't pigeonhole yourself in being only a linux expert, or only a windows guy. Understand basic administration of both. you will work with both. it is inevitable. Active Directory, whether in the cloud (Azure) or on premise is going to be the backing credential management in just about 90% of enterprise. Learn how to make Windows and Linux talk with eachother.

 

5. Python

 

6. Networking. if you cannot explain, or at least understand how everything connects and communicates, you are going to have a bad time. networking, especially enterprise is far more complicated than home networking. 

 

7. Learn some business. honestly. take an entry level accounting course if you can. Learn what budgeting is. how businesses do their math. As a system admin this seems like it's irrelevant. it's not. You are going to be constantly fighting with bean counters. you will always want more than they are willing to spend. if you can speak their lingo, it's far easier to convince them to get you what you want. Example, if you just ask for a million dollars in equipment, you're not likely going to be given much attention. But if you can show a business case, budget for it, schedule for it on their amortization and costing and can show them why it's in the busineses best interest monetarily. You will be given a far wider benefit of the doubt later.

1 -  YES, soft skills are very important in this field. 

 

2 - Yes/No here. I understand what you are trying to say, but doing help desk for 30k a year despite how much you love it isn't worth it. Also depending on what you want to do you might need to spend a few years doing something you hate (for experience).

 

3 - Also great information. I would also expand and say to focus on how they function with cloud services. There is a big difference how you use something via a brick and mortar owned server vs one on AWS.

 

4 - Great advice. I will toss in glorified unix (MacOS) too. The mobile platforms can also be important.

 

5 -  learning how to code/script is more important than ever. The language you start with isn't as important. Learn the basics then you can pickup new syntax as needed.

 

6 - A huge YES here. This is something I am constantly having to educate others on. 

 

7 - Yes/No on this one. This feels like a small business problem. In my experience we have people dedicated to these issues and can normally make our business justification just by metric tracking. If you can show , for example, that a server is constantly at 80% usage with spikes that make X amount of traffic to be rejected... then you just need to know how much that loses in terms of time (depending on volume). Then figure out how long payback would be (how long to pay for a new server with the money you were losing) in my experience anything 3 years or under is a good case.

 

In the end like this user has said there are lots of intricacies in the field. I think the best you can do is just get started and see what you actually enjoy while gaining experience. What i do today wasn't even a huge consideration when I started... it wasn't until I started working on getting experience that I found I was passionate about it.